Tohoku University and Kyoto University have demonstrated that induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells from human fibroblasts are induced exclusively from Multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells. Muse cells,which were reported by the same group last year, are adult human pluripotentstem cells that exist in mesenchymal tissues such as skin, bone marrow and fat tissues. They are expected to be applied in a clinical setting because they have no risk of tumorigenesis, unlike other pluripotent stem cells suchas iPS cells and Embryo-Stem (ES) cells.

 The research results will enable us to develop an efficient induction method of iPS cells and solve the problem of tumorigenesis of iPS cells.

 The research results have been published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on May 31, 2011. The paper's title is "Multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells are a primary source of induced pluripotent stem cells in human fibroblasts".

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Professor Mari Dezawa

Department of Stem Cell Biology and Histology

Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-717-8025

E-mail: mdezawa*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

web site: http://www.stemcells.med.tohoku.ac.jp/index.html

(Public Relations)

Yoshikazu Sato

Public Relations Division, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-4815